Carrying bag and method of making same



Jan. 16, 1968 w. BEHLER I CARRYING BAG AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME FiledAug. 24, 1965 INVENIOR. WOLFGANG BEHLEI'? 9 Claims. (Cl. 229-s4 ABSTRACTUP THE DISCLOSURE Carrying bag consisting of two upwardly open pouchesintegrally interconnected by a pair of flexible and coextensive strapsproduced by forming two symmetrical marginal cutouts along a pair ofsuperposed and peripherally interconnected layers of sheet material.

My present invention relates to shopping bags and like carryingcontainers adapted to be held in the hand of the user and to carryingbags of this character composed in Whole or in part of a synthetic-resinfoil.

While shopping and carrying bags provided with handgrips have long beenin common use, the recent development of relatively high-strengthsynthetic-resin foils has led to a sharp increase in the number of typesof carrying bags made from this material. In order to keep the costs ofsuch bags low, it has been proposed to provide handgrips integrally(i.e. in one piece) with the foil at the upper end of the bag. Varioustechniques have been used for this purpose. Thus, a flat tubularsynthetic-resin foil section may be provided with a heat seal transverseto the longitudinal folds of the tubes to form the bottom of a carryingbag, while the extremity remote from this seal is provided centrallywith a stamped-out or cut-out portion defining a carrying grip orhandle. The handle portions on each of the broad surfaces of the tubecan be spread outwardly to form an opening through which goods can beplaced in or removed from the bag. This arrangement has been found tohave several disadvantages, primarily resulting from the fact that thehandgrips are readily torn from the remainder of the bag when the latteris composed of a synthetic-resin foil and is carrying a large load.

It has also been proposed to provide a heat-sealed seam at the upper endof the bag and then to form this upper end with a U-shaped cutoutdesigned to remove a portion of the inner edges of the gusset-type sidefolds as well as the greater part of the seam. The remaining portion ofthe upper edge forms a carrying grip through which the seam extends. Theseam is thus weakened while carrying is made inconvenient and filling ofthe bag is hindered because of the interconnected handgrips. Thus, whenthe bag is spread to permit access thereto, a strain is placed upon thehandgrip. Other constructions using added handles or grip members,reinforcing in the region of the handles, and the like have proved to beunsatisfactory because of high manufacturing costs, difficulty instoring the bags, etc. Moreover, many of these conventional bagconstructions have proved to be difficult to manipulate, especially bychildren and others commonly using the carrying bag. In other systems,publicity printed on the bag also was obscured by the manner in whichthe bag was held.

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to provide an improvedcarrying bag for substantially all-around use which is free from thedisadvantages mentioned above and which will permit the user to employthe bag for best advantage.

United States Patent Another object of my invention is to provide arelatively inexpensive carrying bag with handgrips which have little orno tendency to tear and which can be formed integrally from asynthetic-resin foil.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved,relatively simple method of making carrying bags of the characterdescribed.

These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter areattained, in accordance with the present invention, by a method ofmaking a carrying bag which comprises the steps of cutting a pair ofopenings in a pair of juxtaposed sheet-like layers, interconnected alonga pair of opposite longitudinal edges, at a location along these edgesand intermediate the extremities thereof to subdivide the layers intosections bridges by a relatively narrow web formed between the openings;prior to the cutting operation or subsequently thereto, the remainingperimetral sides of the layers can be joined together. Thus, accordingto one aspect of this invention, the bag is formed from a generally flatsynthetic-resin tube whose longitudinal edges are simple folds betweentwo integral and juxtaposed layers of foil. Prior to, concurrently withor subsequently to the cutting operation, the tube can be heat sealedalong seams perpendicular to the longitudinal edges at opposite endsthereof to close the bottoms of the dual bag formed by the openings. Theresult is a twin-pouch bag arrangement in which the longitudinalconnecting web not only holds the pouches together but also provides ahandgrip for carrying same. Access is afforded to each of the bagsections by spreading the lips of the cutouts.

According to another aspect of this invention, a generally flat tubelength is severed transversly to the major dimension of a continuoustube to provide lengths whose longitudinal edges can be heat-sealed andthen provided with the cutouts. The integral folds of the tubularsection thus constitute the bottom edges of the dual carrying bag.

The present invention thus provides that a tubular section of syntheticresin can be provided between its closed ends with a pair of respectivecutouts separated by a web of material and extending inwardly from thelongitudinal edges of the bag transversely to its closed end.Advantageously, the cutouts, which can be produced by punching, stampingor incising operations, are located symmetrically with respect to amedian line through the bag perpendicular to the closed ends and midwayalong the longitudinal edges thereof. The webs of the juxtaposed layersthus form a plurality of connecting members for holding the dual bagtogether, while constituting a carrying grip. The tube of syntheticresin form can be seamed or seamless and the synthetic-resin foil ispreferably a thremally fusible material capable of being heat sealed.

The resulting twin-pouch carrying bag has many surprising advantagesWhich might not be discerned at first glance. For example, the improvedmethod is not only substantially simpler than any which have beenproposed earlier, but also provides a handgrip which is free from anyheat-sealed seam.

The width of the grip can sufficiently accommodate any load withoutsignificantly interfering with access to the pouch. Furthermore, thewebs can be multi layered and, therefore, practically tear resistant.The dual-pouch arrangement, moreover, provides no tear points as haveheretofore developed when incision methods were used to form handles;moreover, the twin pouches permit separation of the goods to be carriedso that, for example, hard goods may be placed in one pouch while theother accommodates soft goods. Another surprising advantage is thatrelative vertical disorientation of the handgrips is not possible sincethe outer web, in the present case, overlies the other Web. Whenconventional separable grips are provided, there is a tendency for oneor the other to fall downwardly when large loads are carried.Furthermore the arrangement of the present invention is particularlysuitable for overthe-arm carrying of the goods. The carrying bag is thusconducive to use of imprinted advertising which is more or lessconstantly revealed unless concealment is desired. When the imprint isplaced on one layer only, the user need only reverse the bag so that theimprinted side forms the inner surface and the unspoiled surface isexposed.

These objects, advantages and features of the present invention willbecome more readily apparent from the following description, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank formed into a carrying bag according tothe invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bag; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another bag according to the invention.

In FIG. 1, I show a generally rectangular blank I which is severed froma continuous strip of generally fiat tubular synthetic-resin foil 1' ina direction transverse to the major dimension of this continuous stripalong the line 2. The foil length 1 comprises a pair of integral (i.e.one-piece) layers la and 1b interconnected at the longitudinal edges 1cand 1d by foils. While simple folds may be used for this purpose, it ispreferred to use gussets as illustrated at 11c and 1 The oppositeextremities 2 of the length are provided with heat-sealed scams 5 toclose the bottoms of the pouches 6, '7 defined between a pair ofU-shaped cutouts 3a., 3b and the extremities 2. The cutouts 3a, 3b havebight portions 3a, 3b extending parallel to the longitudinal edges 10,1d and the cutouts extend between one-fifth and one-half the length ofthe blank 1. The cutouts, moreover, define between them two elongatedand coextensive webs 4a and 4b in the layers 1a, 1b, the webs having awidth of at least several centimeters and preferably be tween one-sixthand one-fourth of the width of the blank so that the depth of eithercutout 3a, 3b is greater than the width of each web. As can be seen inFIG. 2, the mouth 1g of the pouches 6 and 7 can be spread by separatingthe webs 4a, 4b to permit access to the pouches. The webs 4a and 4b arein superimposed relationship and can overlie the arm of the user.

In use, as seen in FIG. 2, the carrying bag has its two symmetricalpouches 6, 7 interconnected by a handgrip consisting of two nestedstraps of inverted U-shape, these straps being the webs 4a, 4b integralwith the pouch-forming layers 1a, 1b of flexible sheet material. Theopen tops of these pouches define two pairs of parallel edges 1g, 1h,lli, 1 with lower strap 41) bridging central portions of the inner edges1h, 1i while upper strap 4a similarly bridges central portions of theouter edges 1g, 1

In FIG. 3, I show a modified construction wherein the longitudinal edgesare heat sealed together at 100 while the bottom 12 is constituted by afold integrally connecting the two layers a and 101). In thisarrangement, the blank is severed from the continuous tubular strip andheat-sealed transversely to the major dimension of this strip. Thecutouts are provided along these heat-sealed por- 4 tions while thefolds of the tube constitute the bottoms of the pouches.

I claim:

1. A carrying bag comprising two substantially symmetrical upwardly openpouches integrally interconnected by a handgrip consisting of twonested, flexible straps of inverted U-shape, the open tops of saidpouches forming an inner and an outer pair of parallel edges, said outerpair of edges having central portions bridged by one of said straps,said inner pair of edges having central portions bridged by the other ofsaid straps.

2. A carrying bag as defined in claim 1 wherein said handgrip has awidth of several centimeters and said pouches as measured along saidedges extend over at least four times the width of said handgrip.

3. A carrying bag comprising two substantially coextensive juxtaposedlayers of sheet material having a pair of interconnected oppositelongitudinal edges formed with cutouts at an intermediate location alongsaid edges, said cutouts substantially symmetrically inwardly from saidedges to define respective openings separated by a pair of coextensiveelongated webs lying generally parallel to said edges and togetherforming a carrying grip, the width of said webs being a minor fractionof the width or" said layers transverse to said edges, said layers beingjoined together at opposite extremities of said edges whereby thejuxtaposed layers between said openings and the respective extremityform of a pair of pouches interconnected by said webs.

4. A carrying bag as defined in claim 3 wherein said layers are composedof a synthetic-resin foil.

5. A carrying bag as defined in claim 4 wherein said layers areconstituted of one piece with a pair of folds interconnecting thelayers.

6. A carrying bag as defined in claim 5 wherein said folds extend alongsaid longitudinal edges and said opposite extremities are provided withheat-sealed seams closing the bottoms of said pouches.

7. A carrying bag as defined in claim 5 wherein said folds extend alongsaid extremities and said longitudinal edges are formed with heat-sealedseams closing said pouches laterally.

8. A carrying bag as defined in claim 3 wherein said cutouts are ofgenerally U-shaped configuration.

9. A carrying bag as defined in claim 3 wherein the width of each webtransverse to said longitudinal edges is substantially less than thedepth of either of said cutouts; said web having a length rangingbetween substantially one-fifth and one-half the length of said layersalong said longitudinal edges.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,246,672 4/1966 Naito 3 FOREIGNPATENTS 820,236 7/1937 France.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner,

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner,

